


you pull me closer (to love)

by seekrest



Series: IronDad Bingo [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Found Family, Light Angst, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23058868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: Tony laughed as Peter came bounding in to the lab, cheeks flushed from the cold. It took Tony a second to realize that Peter was carrying something, a little too concerned with how red his cheeks were - making a mental note to readjust the heaters in the kid’s suit.“Where’s the fire, kid?”Peter smiled, planting the package - a present, from the haphazard wrapping job - on the lab desk. “Happy Boss’ Day, Mr. Stark!”Tony blinked, before turning to face him. “Happy... what ?”__IronDad Bingo: Holidays
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: IronDad Bingo [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652680
Comments: 12
Kudos: 297





	you pull me closer (to love)

Tony laughed as Peter came bounding in to the lab, cheeks flushed from the cold. It took Tony a second to realize that Peter was carrying something, a little too concerned with how red his cheeks were - making a mental note to readjust the heaters in the kid’s suit. 

“Where’s the fire, kid?”

Peter smiled, planting the package - a present, from the haphazard wrapping job - on the lab desk. “Happy Boss’ Day, Mr. Stark!”

Tony blinked, before turning to face him. “Happy... _what_?”

Peter laughed as he began to unwrap the scarf around his neck, shedding layers as he always did the minute he walked into the lab. The kid ran a mile a minute half the time, rushing through life like he couldn’t waste a second. Yet May raised her nephew right, Peter dutifully folding his jacket over and balling his gloves into the pocket. 

Peter’s smile was so bright it was almost beaming, running a hand through his hair from the mess that his beanie had made. 

“Boss’ Day. It’s a day to celebrate bosses and since you’re the best one I’ve had, I thought we should celebrate.”

“I’m the _only_ boss you’ve ever had, squirt.” Tony made a face, throwing a hand up. “What the hell am I saying, I’m not your _boss_ , Pete. I’m your--” Tony caught himself off, Peter still working on his layers - thankfully pretending to be too engrossed in unbuttoning his coat. 

What _was_ he to Peter? They hadn’t really discussed it. After getting the riot act from May - and then from Pepper - Tony knew his hands-off approach to helping Peter wasn’t something he could continue. 

He hadn’t wanted that either really. But Tony had been so terrified of fucking it up that even in trying to be better than Howard had ever been, Tony had still managed to put the kid in a position where he brought down on a plane of his own gear in a glorified onesie, nearly killing himself in the process. 

It’d been almost a year since then, enough that Tony didn’t think he would somehow harm the kid by virtue of being around him - but Tony still wasn’t sure what to call himself. 

Tony swallows that down, shaking his head. 

“You really didn’t have to give me anything, Pete. I mean I appreciate the thought but what even is boss’ day? It’s a made up holiday.”

“All holidays are made up, Mr. Stark.” Peter shrugged, shoving the package in front of Tony - forcing him to open it. 

Tony rolls his eyes but takes it anyway, unwrapping it with the same amount of finesse that had gone into wrapping it. 

Tony’s heart skips a beat when he sees what the package contains, a black frame with a picture of the two of them - posing with Peter’s intern certificate, laughing at the memory of that day. 

Peter hadn’t really cared about making his internship “official” in any capacity - happy to work in his lab without any kind of recognition. But Pepper and May had been insistent, something Tony had agreed on, that even if Peter couldn’t get the public credit he deserved as Spider-Man, that he should at least have the ability to have proof of his work as Peter Parker.

Tony let the wrapping paper fall, holding the picture gently as he smiled. He remembered getting Happy to take the picture, knowing they took a dozen more than they needed to - and was tickled that Peter chose one of the sillier ones to commemorate as a gift for him. 

Peter takes his silence for disapproval though, immediately speaking up. 

“I thought it’d be a good idea, you know, as a joke. But also, _not_ a joke cause I know you’re not my ‘boss’ boss, but you’re the closest to one I’ve had and May said this was her favorite and I agreed and--”

“Kid, I love it.”

Peter paused, letting out a long exhale. “Wait, you do?”

Tony smiled, looking up from the picture to see the relief in Peter’s eyes - heart constricting at the idea that Peter would think he wouldn’t love anything that he ever thought to give him.

He’d never been really good at articulating his emotions to the people he cared about but he’d hoped that Peter - by now - would recognize that there was nothing he could physically give that could ever compare to what Peter freely gave by virtue of existing and allowing Tony to be a part of his life. 

A kindness that overwhelmed Tony, the goodness that seemingly radiated from every fiber of Peter’s being - one that seemed increasingly improbable considering the hell he’d faced after barely crossing puberty. 

Dead parents. A dead uncle. Money problems. Health issues. Tony already knew the kind of kid Peter was from the moment he met him, on a small twin-size bed - calmly stating something that Tony now deeply knew was true, the sincerity of Peter’s responsibility to do good in the world. 

And now months later, having actually had the chance to get to know Peter, holding a heartfelt gift that Peter had no doubt spent hours agonizing over - for a made-up holiday no less - made his heart soar for how much the kid cared about him. 

“Yeah, kid.” Tony cleared his throat, swallowing down something he couldn’t give a name to just yet, smiling back at Peter, “It’s perfect. May’s got a good eye for these kind of things.”

Peter’s smile returned in full force, nodding as he walked forward to lean over Tony’s shoulder. “Yeah she said the bunny ears one was the best choice. The uh, ‘best representation our true selves’ or something like that.” 

Tony knew Peter probably remembered the exact words May had said, but was pretending to be casual - even if Tony could sense how relieved he was that he’d liked the picture. 

“Well, look kid here--” Tony made a show of placing it on the lab bench, Peter snickering as he motioned to it with his hands, “What better place for it than where we spend half our time anyway?” 

Peter nodded. “Sounds great, Mr. Stark. So what are we working on today?”

* * *

“Tony.”

Tony blinked a few times, realizing he’d been staring off into nothing again - seeing Pepper’s warm smile, the concern all over her face as Morgan babbled in the background, hearing Rhodey messing around in the kitchen and Happy’s disgruntled murmur. 

“You still with me?”

Tony sighed, nodding as he turned back to face her. “Yeah, I’m good, Pep. I’m good.”

He leaned back on the couch, looking towards where Happy was taking out his aggression on a bowl of mashed potatoes, no doubt still pissed that Rhodey had forbade him from messing around with the turkey.

“Sweethearts, when will the food be ready?”

“It’ll be ready when it’s ready, Tones.” Rhodey sniped back, Tony looking back and winking at Pepper. 

“You should’ve stepped in, you know how particular Happy gets about his spices.”

Morgan gestures for Tony then, leaning up from the couch to grab her - standing up as she starts to wave her hand around, sucking on one of her fists as Tony starts to bounce. 

“And _you_ know how Rhodey gets about people invading his space in the kitchen. It’ll be fine, they didn’t burn the place down.” 

Morgan whines, Tony bouncing a little more before nodding towards the hallway. “Gonna put little miss down for her nap. Mind the other kids while I’m gone?” 

Pepper laughs, before waving him off - moving to get off the couch and likely to see how she could negotiate some peace between the two of them before they sat down to eat. 

She was good at it, negotiating - and even if Tony had ulterior motives in making her CEO to SI at the time, he never regretted it. 

Morgan starts to squirm in his arms, her eyes drooping as she tried to fight against the sleep she desperately needed, Tony bounce-walking towards her bedroom.

“Shh, come on kiddo. You’re gonna need your energy to eat whatever Uncle Happy’s put in the potatoes.” 

Tony tilted his head to the side. “On second thought, maybe you’ll skip the potatoes. We never know if--”

He stops in his tracks, the picture in the hallway almost mocking him. He’d forgotten about it, that first Thanksgiving with Peter and May - inviting them to the penthouse that he and Pepper had bought in the city after selling the Tower, one that had been quickly sold and disregarded after…

Tony swallows down the memory and the grief all at once, eyes stinging as Morgan continued to squirm - his eyes traveling all over the picture. 

It was all of them - Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, May. And Peter, smile just as bright as he remembered it - pointing towards the turkey hat they’d made as a joke. But what hurt worst wasn’t just the joy on their faces - it was the smile on his own face, wearing an equally ridiculous turkey hat. 

Tony had found an irreplaceable source of joy in the year after everything, in the year after they’d _lost_ \- yet seeing the picture in front of him reminded him when his life hadn’t been easy but had been just as full, the knowledge that he’d acted as a father to someone long before Pepper had ever told him the news. 

Tony never forgot Peter - the overwhelming and earth-shattering grief of losing millions almost meaningless in the face of the one bright spot in the universe that was gone - but it was seeing the picture of all of them, holding his daughter in his arms - that Tony realized that for as happy as he was to have found some island of peace in the middle of a storm, that his life would never complete. That his life would always be missing the boy who had been like a son to him in all but name. 

He feels the tears in his eyes as Morgan starts to get antsy, absentmindedly bouncing again as his eyes danced over to where May was smiling, thankful in a twisted way that she was gone too. 

Tony didn’t know where the dusted went - or if they went anywhere at all, the memory of Peter’s terrified cries, holding on to him as a lifeline only to drift away haunting Tony in his nightmares. But if there was a somewhere, Tony could only hope that they were all together. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Tony whispers to Morgan, half-swaying now in the hallway as a tear falls down his face. 

“You’re okay.” Tony’s breath catches, closing his eyes as he remembered when he’d said the same thing to another child, trying to push down the grief threatening to overwhelm him. He could still hear the chattering in the kitchen, could feel Morgan lean her head against his chest as he ran a hand up and down her back. It was enough to ground him into the moment, if only until he put her down for a nap. 

“Happy Thanksgiving, Pete.” Tony whispered, blinking away some of the tears as he walked down the hall. He had a lot to to be thankful for, holding one of the best things he’d ever been given. 

Yet as he stepped into Morgan’s room, Tony couldn’t help but feel the deep well of grief for everything that he had lost. 

* * *

“Mr. Stark?” 

Tony startled, blinking a few times. He tilted his head towards the voice to see Peter - peeking out from the open doorway. 

“Hey kid, what’s going on? Do I need to--” Tony went to sit up, the mechanical arm whining as he braced himself against the bench but Peter rushed from behind the door, holding his hand up.

“No, no everything’s fine.” He laughed, nodding back towards the doorway. “May’s got some kind of surprise going with Morgan and I was given strict instructions that you should _not_ come in.” 

Tony made a face. “Kid, I was asleep. I wouldn’t have known what the hell they were doing anyway.” Tony watched as Peter shifted back and forth, rubbing his hands together. 

“Get back inside, it’s too cold out here for you without a coat.”

Peter shrugged, coming to sit next to him on the bench anyway. “I’m fine. Besides,” Peter nudged him with his elbow, “ _you’re_ one to talk. Didn’t Dr. Cho say that you weren’t supposed to expose your arm to extreme temperatures until you knew for sure if it was a good fit?” 

Tony scoffed, throwing his arm around Peter - Peter instinctually leaning in closer, “Forty-five degrees is hardly _extreme_. Honestly kid, I’m a little concerned for our planet. This close to Christmas and barely any snow on the ground.”

Peter shivered, Tony rubbing his hand up and down Peter’s arm - glad that he’d chosen to sit on the side where he’d actually feel warmth rather than the coolness of the metallic arm, one that Tony didn’t dare admit felt a little tight from the chill in the air. 

“Whatever you say, Mr. St-Stark.”

Tony laughed, shaking his head as hugged Peter tighter. “Well have to find some other place to hide out, kid. You’re gonna turn into a spider-popsicle any minute now.”

Peter laughed, Tony’s heart warming at the sound. “You know they sell those now? I’m a b-big hit.”

“Always have been, kid.” Tony whispered, looking out over the lake, knowing they had to move sooner rather than later considering the kid was already starting to shiver more than what was normal.

Yet Tony just held onto Peter a little tighter, remembering all too well what the last Christmas season had been like - mere months before Tony had risked everything. 

It’d been a loud holiday, Morgan’s squeals at the bike Happy had got her making his heart skip a beat. He could faintly hear her chattering through the window, no doubt talking May’s ear off about some story, knowing May was patient enough to ask all the right questions to get her talking more. 

It was seamless, fitting them back into his life as if they’d never left - though Tony knows the scars of losing those five years were forever imprinted onto all of them, the loss of his arm being the most obvious. 

But it was also in the unspoken ways - May’s watchful eye as Peter went off to some emergency, knowing the last time he did so that they were both blipped into oblivion. 

It was in the way Morgan would ask Peter a million questions, curious about seemingly everything Peter had ever done - as if she somehow understood that he had years of knowledge of Tony that she never would. 

But it was also in the way Peter carried himself, Tony’s grip tightening at the memory of the past summer - knowing he’d had to face some jackass by himself, when Tony was still recovering from a snap that had saved billions of lives and yet had almost ended his own. 

It wasn’t all bad changes, the flush of Peter’s cheeks not from the cold but from young love, telling Tony all about the girlfriend he wanted Tony to meet. 

And even for the grief that still found its way into his heart, the knowledge of just how close he’d been to having Peter lose someone else important to him inching its way into his soul, Tony couldn’t help but be thankful that it wasn’t the case - that this was the first of many Christmases, of many holidays together. 

Holidays filled with love. 

Holidays filled with _hope_. 

Hope for another tomorrow. Hope that despite how shitty and awful the hand that had been dealt to all of them, that they had a second chance - the promise of being able to create new memories, together. 

Peter shivered once more, bringing Tony out of his thoughts - leaning out of the embrace as he nudged Peter to move.

“Wha--”

“Come on, kid. I’m serious, you need to get your temperature up.”

“But we can’t--”

Tony waved him off, standing up from the bench and nodding towards the garage. “I checked out those specs you sent over, for the new webshooters? I think I got some parts lying around that could help you out.”

Peter’s rubs his hands together, smiling back at Tony - both of them knowing full well that Peter didn’t need his help to figure out any of his gear. He’d proven that in London, proved that over and over again with watching out over the city - Tony’s retirement forcing him to the sidelines in more ways than one. 

But Peter takes the distraction, standing up so fast that it makes Tony’s head spin. “Sounds great, Mr. Stark. Let’s go.”

Peter goes to walk ahead of him, Tony standing in place - watching until Peter turns back, tilting his head.

“You coming?”

Tony smiles, hearing Morgan’s peal of laughter from inside the house - seeing the curious smile on Peter’s face and nods.

“Yeah, let’s go kid.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If this looks familiar, it's cause it is! Reposting IronDad bingos to allow people to bookmark stories separately.


End file.
